About Beyond Boundaries

What is Beyond Boundaries?

Beyond Boundaries is a new project from Body & Soul. We want young people and adults living with HIV from all over the country to be able to access support when they need it, and Beyond Boundaries is the project that enables us to do that.

Who can join?

How do I join?

The first step to joining us is to sign up online and we will be in touch to arrange an initial conversation with Estelle. During this conversation, Estelle will ask you a few more questions and together you will work out how we can best support you now and in the future. The sign up form is secure and we will not share your details with anyone.

How can I refer someone?

If you would like to refer someone to Beyond Boundaries, please fill in the Join Us form and we will get in touch with them directly. If you are making a referral, please make sure that the person you are referring knows, and is expecting to hear from the Beyond Boundaries team.

What can I get help with?

Beyond Boundaries is a service for people aged 15-30 living with HIV to connect with their peers in a safe environment, wherever they are. Our peer mentors are all closely affected by HIV. They all have their own experiences to share with you. You can also get support through life coaching, counselling and casework support. You might not want to talk about anything related to HIV and that’s fine too.

Can I choose who I speak to?

If you meet one of the peer mentors over video or phone call and you would like to speak to them again, we will do our very best to make this happen. All of our peer mentors are volunteers but if their schedules permit, we hope to offer you the opportunity to speak to the same person as many times as you like.

What do you mean by peers?

Beyond Boundaries uses the word peer to mean someone of a similar age (15-30) who is living with or closely affected by HIV. This means that they have personal experience of the challenges that an HIV diagnosis brings either to themselves or to a close member of their family such a parent or sibling. All of the peer mentors at Body & Soul have spent a lot of time with other young people living with and affected by HIV so they have a wealth of experience to share and learn from. They are all trained in issues such as confidentiality.

What is the difference between peer support, peer mentoring and peer coaching?

Lots of different words are used to describe what happens when two peers share experiences, opinions and concerns with each other in a structured or semi-structured setting. But whether you call it peer support, peer mentoring or peer coaching, the idea is to give you the opportunity to meet and develop safe, trusting relationships with other people of a similar age who are going through or who have gone through similar experiences to you.

We all know that sometimes it can be harder talking to professionals like teachers, social workers, and health professionals than it is to talk to our friends. Beyond Boundaries offers you the option to talk to people who understand what life is like in your shoes. The peer mentors at Body & Soul are not professionals but they can help make suggestions or signpost you to further help if you feel you need it.

I don’t have Skype or a phone that lets me make video calls. Can I still sign up?

Of course. Video calls are great because it feels a bit more personal when you can see the person you’re talking to but we are equally happy to chat to you on the phone, via email or even via text or what’s app.

I’m worried about confidentiality

If I sign up, does that mean I can’t come to Body & Soul anymore?

No. Beyond Boundaries is a project for people who may otherwise find it hard to access support around their HIV and other challenges they are facing. This could be because they do not have any local services; because they have reduced mobility and can’t make it out of the house; or any other reason that makes them feel isolated.

Some members of Body & Soul live far away from our London centre and find it hard to make the journey. Signing up for Beyond Boundaries does not mean that you can’t come to Body & Soul when you are able to make the journey.

How often will I hear from you?

It’s up to you. Once you register with us, we will talk about how often you might like to hear from us and we will try to stick with this. Most people like to hear from us anything between every two weeks to every month but it’s up to you.

Alternatively, you can always get in touch with us yourself to arrange a call or video call with a peer mentor or one of our professionals.